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Emerging evidence has suggested global histone H4 acetylation status plays an important role in neural plasticity. For instance, the imbalance of this epigenetic marker has been hypothesized as a key factor for the development and progression of several neurological diseases. Likewise, astrocytic reactivity - a well-known process that markedly influences the tissue remodeling after a central nervous system injury - is crucial for tissue remodeling after spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the linkage between the above-men-tioned mechanisms after SCI remains poorly understood. We sought to investigate the relation between both glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) (astrocytic reactivi-ty classical markers) and global histone H4 acetylation levels. Sixty-one male Wistar rats (aged ~3 months) were divided into the following groups: sham; 6 hours post-SCI; 24 hours post-SCI; 48 hours post-SCI; 72 hours post-SCI; and 7 days post-SCI. The results suggested that GFAP, but not S100B was associated with global histone H4 acetylation levels. Moreover, global histone H4 acetylation levels exhibited a complex patt after SCI, encompassing at least three clearly defined phases (first phase: no changes in the 6, 24 and 48 hours post-SCI groups; second phase: increased levels in the 72 hours post-SCI group; and a third phase:ret to levels similar to control in the 7 days post-SCI group). Overall, these findings suggest global H4 acetylation levels exhibit distinct patts of expression during the first week post-SCI, which may be asso-ciated with GFAP levels in the perilesional tissue. Current data encourage studies using H4 acetylation as a possible biomarker for tissue remodeling after spinal cord injury.